The Course of a Feather in Autumn's Wind
by ultra-seokjin
Summary: Just like a feather, lost in the wind, you fly away gracefully until I can never catch you again. Kougami comes back, but in a way that no one expected. Kougami x Akane. Rated M because you never know ;)
1. Chapter 1

**Set 1 year after the mission in Shambala Float. Forgive me if some of the details about the Psycho Pass universe are incorrect.**

* * *

Akane was not a woman of great extravagance. She considered herself to be a plain and simple lady. Nothing extraordinary or out of the blue. When she was little, she always thought that she wanted to be as pretty as Yuki, or as tall as Kaori. But slowly, those insecurities started fading away, little by little like a drop of blood in a clear river, forgotten and shrouded.

Now, Akane could say that she is a very confident and collected woman. Reminiscing back to the time when she was a rookie inspector makes her cringe and laugh at herself for how foolish and stupidly naive she was.

She never actually felt insecure about her body, she actually felt that for her stature she was pretty well endowed. _Why am I having such petty thoughts right now? Ugh what's wrong with me?_ As she finally decided to pull down the covers, she looked at the mirror and saw her own face. _When was the last time I looked at myself in the mirror? When is the last time I even cared how I looked?_ She took a moment to observe her own face. Now, _this_ was shocking…

Because she hadn't looked at herself in ages, she certainly wasn't expecting to see a much harder and colder facade. She knew she became much more grown up and mature, but she didn't know her face changed that much. Well she does know she's older, now 26. One year since she met _him_ again.

 _I feel like I became much more withdrawn and harsher since that mission in Shambala Float. Then again I feel like I needed to see him again so that I could finally close that chapter of my life again. I… I'm actually thankful for that, Kougami-san._

As she came out of her self-analysis and evaluation of herself, she got out of her room and went to the bathroom. She stripped out of her shorts and tank top. _My grandma would kill me if she saw me wearing this in public._ Thinking about her grandma made Akane feel nostalgic, and not sad, oddly. She knows that wherever she is, she's looking down onher with that bright, cheerful smile of hers that could make any rainy day become a sunny day filled with rainbows.

As she came out of the shower, she started drying her long _long_ hair that reached about her waist. (She honestly didn't know how her hair grew that fast).

* * *

" _Why did you invite me here, Shion?"_

" _Ahh I invited you to my place so that I could give you a complete new look!" Shion exclaimed cheerfully._

" _What? But I'm fine with how I look. I don't see what's the-"_

" _Hush, and let me make you gorgeous!"_

" _What do you plan on doing?"_

" _Well for starters you need to let that hair of yours grow."_

" _But I like my short hair, it's very practical."_

" _Come on Akane, you need to cooperate too so that this could work"_

" _Fine, if I like it, I'll keep the new look."_

" _Good! That's all I needed to hear! I also have an idea for something you could wear!"_

" _What is it?"_

" _Something that's modest and elegant, but feminine enough that it shows off your surprisingly curvy body. Maybe like a nice dress that reaches a little above your knees. I'm thinking that the color should be black or navy blue. Oh, and it should have a geometric design for the top neck part! Ooh! I think I have the perfect dress that fits that description!"_

 _Shion went ahead to her closet and pulled of a beautiful dress. It's nothing like what Shion would wear. It was surprisingly feminine and modest._

" _So what'd ya think?"_

" _I surprisingly like it."_

" _Great! I have tons of those from ages ago."_

* * *

So here she was taking out that same dress out of her closet. As she pulled it above her head, she couldn't help but feel the cold breeze as it grazed her hot, sensitive skin. At first she felt like it showed a little bit too much of her behind and chest but she likes the refreshing touch it gives.

She went through the same routine again, as always. She takes a shower, dresses up, brushes her hair, puts on her heels and drinks coffee. _Wow, what great nutritional breakfast I'm having. Coffee is like my only escape. Sigh…_

While putting her car on auto-drive, she saw a feather land on the window, she tried to grab it, but just like everything else she tried to catch, it flew away. _How pathetic… Not even a feather stays with me._

Akane entered the office, and like always, she was the first one there. As she was about to sit down and finish her sugary and _probably_ cold coffee, she felt a tap on her shoulder and her name being spoken. She turned around and it was her almighty and trustworthy friend, Ginoza.

* * *

" _You finally cut that ponytail of yours that I didn't like Ginoza-kun." Akane monotonously exclaimed._

" _Well you did keep insisting. And since when did you start calling me 'Ginoza-kun'?" A confused Ginoza asked._

" _Since I can. Come on Ginoza-kun let's change it up a bit. Actually I think I'll call you Gino-kun instead okay?"_

" _Great…"_

* * *

"Akane, there's someone you need to see," Ginoza hoarsely whispered.

"Sure, what is it?" Akane could sense the seriousness in Ginoza's voice, which made her feel a bit worried.

"Come with me."

As they both walked together, Akane tried to ignore the fact that he said some _one_ and not some _thing_. _What could it be? Or better yet, who could it be?_

They approached a door. Ginoza's hand was visibly shaking. This seemed odd to Akane. Ginoza wasn't the type to be scared like that, at least not anymore.

"Akane, promise me that you won't do anything reckless or stupid." He made eye contact with her. It was hard for her to not look away but she stared right back at his green eyes, with an intensity that could burn your soul. Why he was behaving like this she didn't know. In fact she was a bit confused.

"I won't. Just open the goddamn door."

He opened it slowly. The door squeaked and she quickly scanned the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but then she came across a figure sitting by a white table. Actually, everything in the room seemed white. The walls, the floor, every single thing looked white. She didn't like it. It looked dull and lifeless.

But then she saw _black, spiky hair. Oh no… this can't be. It's impossible I'm sure it's someone else. Stop panicking. Take a deep breath and walk over there._

And so she did. The sound of her heels echoed in the room. She heard Ginoza close the door and leave. Her eyes started to widen as she came closer, and the person started to lift their head up.

Everything felt as if it was occurring in slow motion. As he fully lifted his head up, they locked eyes with each other. Deep blue staring into hazel. Each strand of her hair felt frozen. She felt paralyzed, she couldn't find the strength to move. Her legs felt weak and like they could fail her right there, right now.

 _It really is Kougami-san_

And with vigor, she walked over there, with confident steps whilst still maintaining eye contact. She slammed her hands on the table, putting her face only inches apart from his. Looking into his sharp eyes, and with the coldest voice she could muster, she said:

"What are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

 **Can you guess what happens next? I hope I didn't make anyone out of character. Please feel free to leave a review, they are much appreciated :)**


	2. You're Back?

"What are _you_ doing here?"

The coldness and harshness of her voice clearly had struck Kougami. Akane inwardly gave herself a smirk of satisfaction at seeing his reaction. He was quick to recover though. Almost too quick. Kougami quickly used this time to take a look at Akane. _She looks quite different. It seems that she's gone through even more emotional development. Her attire, it looks quite revealing compared to what she used to wear. At least it's not as vulgar as what Shion wears._

"I see that my presence here isn't too pleasant for you is it?" Kougami could sense that Akane was not happy to see him here. He only earned a sharp glance from her. It didn't disturb him because honestly, he's seen much worse. But it was still unsettling to see Akane give such cold stare. She's grown so much, in a way he's proud, but he's also scared and worried for her well being. Seeing as what happened to him, he didn't want that story to repeat itself again. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if that ever happened. But Akane is a strong woman, and she can endure every challenge that life gives her. That's what he loved most about her. He must admit though, she looks, dare he say pretty? _I would never look at her in such a way though._ Akane's voice quickly took him out of his thoughts though.

"What do you think?" Akane raised a sharp eyebrow and put her hands to her hips.

"I'll take that as a yes then, I see that you still have that sharp tongue of yours that you were quick to use since we last met." Kougami gave a light chuckle, looking back at the memories when she struck him with her boldness on many occasions. " I never took you for the type to like long hair though. I thought you always went for the more practical look."

"We are not here to discuss my appearance! We are here to talk about your motives for being here!"

"You think I got arrested right?" He said through hooded eyes. He was directing his eyes at the table now, he didn't have the courage to look at her now.

"Yes, why else would you be here?" It was evident that she was startled by his statement. She quickly lowered her hands to her sides. But she should have thought that Kougami wasn't stupid enough to let himself get caught. This is Kougami we're talking about. The guy who went from an inspector to an enforcer and managed to kill one of the most dangerous criminals Japan has seen, he was able to cross Japan's border without getting caught by Sibyl and then became part of a guerrilla group. Of course the answer wouldn't be as simple as that. _But why else would he be here? There's no way Sibyl could have allowed this! He must be messing with me._ Akane felt her hands get sweaty. She was beyond confused right now.

"If you wanna know the real reason behind my presence here, then you're out of luck because I can't tell you. But, this might surprise you, I'm here as one of your subordinates once again." He said this with such a calm voice that it started to annoy Akane. But then the realization of what he just said struck her. _What?! Is he trying to say that he's an enforcer again? There's no way in the world that Sibyl would allow this! Then again, it probably is plausible, considering how corrupted the system is. It probably made a contract with him or something. But why would he give up his freedom to just come back to the life he once hated? It makes no sense whatsoever._

"Did you make a deal or something with the system?" She couldn't deny that she felt some sort of excitement towards working with him again. The man who taught her the very basis of her detective methods. Maybe this could close the wound he left in her heart and make it seal. But knowing him, there's always a chance that he'll leave.

Kougami obviously wasn't expecting for her to take that guess. Is it possible that she knows about Sibyl's true nature? Maybe it didn't reveal itself only to him? _Nah, it's not possible._

"How'd you-why would you think that?"

"Answer me." She quickly cut in. She was surprised by how cold her voice sounded.

With a deep sigh, he began to say "About two days ago, I came back to Japan, for reasons I cannot explain. I knew I had to be weary of the street scanners but frankly, hiding has become my specialty right? So then as I was walking down an alley, I saw a dominator thrown close to a trash can. Instead of it having the normal cyan light that we all know, it had a flashing red light that kept fading into orange. I knew I shouldn't have picked it up, but curiosity got the best of me, and I felt like I didn't have anything to lose at this point. Then as I held it in my hands the dominator's voice said 'Shinya Kougami, we need you back. Help us.' Before I could run away, a black car pulled over. I was surprised to see Chief Kasei come out of it. She told me, 'Come back Shinya Kougami.'I asked her what they even needed me for. They wouldn't even let me be in the Makishima case, so why bother? Hell, she ended up saying that I had to still be an enforcer. Why would I want to be a merciless dog again? Why would I have to be back in this horrible prison? But then as I refused her offer, she said that it will all be worth it in the end. I suddenly thought about how I would starve to death and die here in the streets since there's no way I would be able to go back to Shambala Float. All of them were practically ready to throw fire torches at me if I ever showed my face there after I left. And there's no way in hell that I'm letting my death be as simple as that, not after all I've gone through to survive. I accepted the offer, even though I had no idea how all of this was happening. I mean I am a fugitive aren't I? How could Sibyl allow _me_ to become an enforcer? So then I was dragged into this room, told I was being put back in Division 1, and here I am, waiting for your response."

Akane felt like this was too much information to take in all at once. She felt like pulling her hair, until not one single strand was left. Goosebumps rose all over her body, suddenly feeling cold and she was shivering. All of her world just crumbled before her, in like what? 15 minutes? Sibyl had just reached a new low, using Kougami for another one of its selfish desires. Then again, it didn't surprise her. Why would it? So she decided to accept things, live with it, and just go with the flow. _Would Sibyl start contacting Kougami like it did with me? Has it already revealed its true form to him? Maybe it has…_ Finally finding the courage to speak she said, "Who else knows you're here?"

"Only you and Ginoza."

Akane thought about how he will come in handy considering how Teppei had just been transferred to another division. _Oh my god, what if Sibyl had this planned a long time ago?! Maybe that's why it suddenly transferred Teppei, so it could leave room for Kougami!_

"So how's everyone?" He suddenly asked.

"Well for starters, Shion is still her extravagant old self. Kunizuka hasn't changed one bit either. I guess only Ginoza changed, as you've already seen. But overall everyone's fine." She said this with a distant look in her eyes.

"Any news about Kagari?"

"No… he's still missing…" A sudden wave of sadness washed over Akane. She was the only one who knew what had truly happened to him. Nostalgia flooded her very soul. She thought about sharing the truth with him, but she backed away as soon as she was about to open her mouth. Maybe another day. She felt her eyes sting and get watery.

Kougami saw this and immediately said, "Are you alright inspector?"

"Y-yes" she said with a trembling voice. His death still affected her very much.

"His disappearance still affects you, Tsunemori?"

"Yes, very much" Akane hated how weak she sounded. This is not the Akane she is and not the one she's worked so hard to be.

"I know how you feel. We all miss his cheerful and jokester personality."

Akane smiled at this, while wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. "I barely noticed that you're already wearing your suit."

"Hmm, I guess I'm back to wearing this."

"You still don't tie your tie correctly."

"And I'm keeping it that way." His response had made Akane smile, and so he smiled too. He could see Akane's surprise at this. He could even say that he saw a faint blush invading her cheeks. His smile turned into what seemed a mischievous smirk.

Clearing her throat she said, "Well we should get going and introduce you to the others. They're probably wondering where I am right now." Akane gave a nervous laugh. _Ugh why do I feel like this! It makes me feel so vulnerable!_

Kougami rose from his place and started walking towards the door. Before Akane could think about what she was saying, she said, "Your appearance hasn't changed one bit. In fact, it looks like you haven't aged at all since I first met you. I thought you'd look significantly older, knowing your smoking habits. You should be thankful, you're really lucky."

Kougami stopped to a halt, but while still not facing her completely with his hands in his pockets he said, "Should I take that as a compliment? I can't say the same thing about you though. _You_ do look older. You've aged, but in a good way. So don't get offended. It makes you look more mature."

"Well thanks? I guess. We really need to go."

Kougami turned the doorknob and he opened the door. As they were walking out in the hallway Akane noticed that he was about to take a cigarette out of his pocket.

"I recommend that you not smoke in the office, Inspector Shimotsuki will not be happy if you do. Please avoid problems with her." She warned.

"Hmm, well that will be hard to do, but I can make some time for smoking."

"Ugh you and your smoking addiction. I swear you'll end up dying because of lung cancer if you keep this up."

"Sorry Inspector, but if I haven't died yet, then that means that it can't be that harmful. At least to me. That reminds me don't you smoke Inspector?"

"I u-um, I don't-I stopped okay! Besides you're the one with the bad smoking habit!"

"At least I wasn't the one that had to inhale second-hand smoke!"

"That is not to be discussed with you, Enforcer!" She pointed at him with her long and slender index finger. From that point onward, there was dead silence. The walk to the office seemed eternal. Just as they were about to approach the door, Inspector Shimotsuki stormed out.

"Where were you! How dare you leave me alone with all of them! Is this the new enforcer we were talked about? Great, another imbecile to deal with! Come on there's a case right now. It's not going to be solved by itself ain't it? Everyone else is outside waiting for the patty wagon. Hurry up!" Mika ran off before Akane had a chance to retort.

The run outside had been a little exhausting. She saw Mika outside with the others, doing what seemed arguing with Ginoza. She couldn't wait to see Yayoi's reaction though. Would she be cool with this? Maybe yes maybe not.

Akane started off by saying, "Everyone, this is our new enforcer, Shinya Kougami."

If Yayoi wasn't paying attention before, then she was certainly paying attention now 'cause she was certainly not expecting to hear that name in that very sentence.

Mika was startled at this announcement, having heard the name before and from what Ginoza had told her, wasn't he a fugitive? He should be imprisoned! She decided to not say anything of the matter.

Hinakawa was as indifferent as ever. He gave a slight nod in acknowledgment of his presence.

Ginoza, having already known about the issue kept quiet and wasn't surprised.

 _Oh,_ Akane couldn't wait for Shion's reaction.

The patty wagon approached them and the doors opened, motioning for them to enter. They all went in a line, with Kougami being last. He had his head bowed down, sort of like if he was feeling shame. He gave a side glance to Akane and they made eye contact. They held it for what seemed an eternity, but in reality it only lasted a couple of seconds. He eventually went in, and the door to the patty wagon closed. Akane stared at it for a while but then Mika spoke up.

"So are we going or not?" Mika said, with an irritated voice. She witnessed the whole ordeal between the inspector and enforcer. It made her feel quite uncomfortable. She was still put off by the fact that a fugitive was able to work for the MWPSB again. But she'll find out what really happened.

"Yes. Let's go." Akane had said this with a withdrawn look on her face. Mika only narrowed her eyes at her. Akane couldn't help but think about Kougami.

 _I wonder how he feels about all of this. Working for the system he hates. Assuming his story is true, why didn't he run away? I mean he could've if he wanted to. Something must have happened for him not to escape this hell again. What's the real truth then?_

* * *

 **Sorry if anything sounds illogical, but then again this is fanfiction, so bear with me. And as for Mika knowing stuff about Kougami from Ginoza, that was stated in the Psycho Pass novel, so I'm going by that. And don't worry, if you're here for the Shinkane, more of it will appear later on :)**

 **Please leave a review! ;)**


	3. Unexpected Comfort

The current case had led them to a very troubling situation. Akane just couldn't comprehend why the world insisted in making her miserable. Was it karma? No, it's not like she's done anything to upset the universe. So yeah, the world just wanted to mess with her. First with the whole Kougami coming back thing, and now _this_. Who knows how much more trouble the future had in stock for her?

Her current situation:

She was stuck with Kougami and Mika in a closet.

Well at least Kougami wasn't that bad, but it was still a little bit awkward for both of them to just start talking as if nothing had happened. After all, it had only been about one and a half hours since they met again. He seems to be assimilating easily though.

Now _Mika_ was a whole different story.

Akane knew that Mika wasn't all bad. She could be a bit bratty sometimes and overall be a total bitch. But Akane liked to think that she became like this because of the circumstances around her. Well her best friend was murdered when they were still schoolgirls. And she knows horrible it feels to have a close friend die. She felt like this could be something that they could connect with. But alas, it seems that Mika doesn't have the least bit of liking for her. Only for Yayoi, which her little crush on her is clearly evident. Poor girl, but she doesn't have a chance.

Going back to the case, it seems unclear to Akane how they got trapped in here. She remembers that they were sent to an abandoned warehouse to look for the criminals. Apparently there were two, and it seemed that they were related. So she grouped Mika with Kougami and Hinakawa, and she went with Ginoza and Kunizuka. Everything was going fine until Mika called her through her communicator.

"This is Shepherd 2, there seems to be something here out east the way you're heading. I'm currently now with Enforcer Kougami. He said he had an idea about the criminal's location." A sharp _tsk_ was heard at the end of the last sentence. Mika panted, she sounded exhausted.

"I'm on my way." Akane responded. Just as she was about to end the call, she heard a loud crash. The sound looked like it could be coming from somewhere close to her. Before she had time to process all of this, she suddenly saw black spots starting to cloud her field of vision. Her head and body felt a thousand times heavier too. Then all she saw was darkness.

When Kougami heard the door open, he thought that this was a perfect moment to escape. He was prepared to knock out whoever was on the door way. Then he saw the door open by just a little crack. He didn't worry because he could still carry on with his plan. Inspector Shimotsuki was hunched over by a corner, her eyes filled with anger but mixed in with what seemed to be fear. Kougami was not prepared to see a hand sticking out in between the short opening. Now, it was surely a living person's hand, but it looked very limp. He assumed it was a she judging by the hand's soft and delicate skin. Then the head was pushed in and this is where his suspicions were confirmed. Not only was the person a she but it was Inspector Tsunemori. The click of a gun was heard, mostly so that they knew the person was armed and so that they wouldn't try fighting him. It took a long time for her unconscious body to be completely pushed in.

During that time Mika was more angry and annoyed than she had ever been. She looked down upon Inspector Tsunemori. Sure they care about each other, but it's purely professional. _Ugh, you'd think that she would have learned by now to not take such drastic measures. But of course, she had to be act dumber than she already is. And then everyone thinks of me as immature? Talk about ignorance!_

Kougami didn't know how to feel about this. At least Miss Inspector was right in front of him. They weren't in peril, yet. He eyed Mika and he thought, _Inspector- what was her name? Shimotsuki? Is surely giving Akane the evil eye. But it looks like this is her personality. Hell, she's as stubborn as a little girl! But you can tell she has sort of a good instinct. I guess that's what keeps her alive in this madness._

Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low grunt. Their attention turned towards the lifeless body that was laying on the ground. It took a moment for her to register that this was reality.

"What happened?" She asked tiredly. The bun that her hair had been tied to was all messy and unkempt. Her clothing had been a little torn and had gotten stained with dirt, revealing a patch of skin that seemed to be bleeding. But it was a little scratch, that's all.

"You got knocked out after probably making one of your courageous-attempt-at-doing-justice decisions, but who knows you were probably just being careless and reckless." Mika ended her statement with a _tsk_ , while intently staring at Akane with an evil eye, but it surely would never intimidate Akane. She's seen far worse honestly.

"Do you think I could have done something better, Inspector Shimotsuki? Besides wasn't it you that told me that this location might hold a clue?" Akane now tried to stare into Mika's eyes, with an intensity that she would never have dreamed of. Her dark wide eyes reminded her of herself in a way that she didn't want to, back when the light in her eyes was what kept her going. Now she goes by _survival of the fittest_ , no more of that nonsense she used to believe.

"So now you're trying to blame _me_! This would be going perfectly fine if it weren't for your heroine rampages!" Now, Mika wasn't mad she was just a little bit bothered. Besides, getting mad like this is not fit for a woman of her stature.

"I'm not trying to blame you, I'm just trying to make a point. And what about Hinakawa? Couldn't you have called him for help?" Akane glanced over at Kougami, who was sitting with his back against the wall. He seemed slightly amused and intrigued by where this discussion could go.

"You think that that depressed kid was going to help me at all! He'd just get in the way!"

"Then you should've called Kunizuka then."

"I couldn't, she was split up with you. Besides I didn't want to bother her." Her expression seemed to soften.

"See, this is what I mean Inspector Shimotsuki! You always want to do what you want! Stop being so stubborn and do something with maturity for once." Akane wasn't particularly mad right now. She wanted to tell Mika everything she thought about her. She completely forgot that Kougami was there too, listening to their heated discussion.

"Umm excuse but I'm completely capable of being mature. Besides aren't you the one that should stop acting so childishly reckless at times? I'm completely capable of being a mature inspector."

"I know you're capable of being an inspector, you're good at your job enough as it is. You have good instinct, Inspector Shimotsuki. Though for you to be able to be considered seriously-" Akane's voice went from mellow to cold and loud- "you need to get rid of that horrible personality of yours and be able to communicate properly with your fellow Enforcers so that your job can be done correctly!" She said it. She said what she wanted to say to her so badly, _oh so very badly._ She felt like she spoke for everyone in Division One.

"I do not need to be lectured by anyone about myself. My personality is whatever I want to make it and if anyone has a problem with it then that's too bad because I'm their superior!"

"May I remind you that I'm superior to you? You follow my orders and what you want isn't what is done unless I approve of it." Akane retorted. She had to admit that she was very satisfied with herself for coming up with that comeback.

Mika looked rather insecure. Without knowing what to say she quickly changed the subject of their argument, "Ever wonder why I developed a hatred towards enforcers?" Her gaze was being directed towards the floor now. She didn't hear Akane give a response, so she took this as a sign to continue.

"Remember the Rinkako Oryou case, Tsunemori? You remember how my friend died because of that psychopath? Do you know how much pain that caused me? It changed me forever. My bubbly personality was no more. And I always thought, this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the stupid Enforcers. If they had done their job and protected her, she would still be alive. I don't blame the Inspectors because the Enforcers are the ones that need to do the handiwork…" Mika was trembling, her small hands balled into fists.

Akane identified herself with her fellow Inspector, after all they went through the same thing. She felt a wave of nostalgia hit her like a brick. Memories of Yuki's death balled up inside of her. The death of a friend is painful. All three of them know how it feels. Akane inched closer in front of Mika and supported herself on her knees and folded her legs so that she was at eye level with her. Out of pity, she put her own hand over hers noticing how cold and sweaty they were. Mika looked surprised, bu she didn't push her hand away. Akane nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"But sometimes, now I haven't said this to anyone but, I feel like I target all of my hatred towards the Enforcers because I couldn't do anything to help prevent her death. The culprit for all of those horrible crimes was right in front of me and I couldn't do anything." Tears were starting to form in her eyes. Akane's caring instinct was to give her a hug, and so she did. She gave her an embrace that screamed of understanding and care. And Akane _did_ care. She heard Mika gasp against her shoulder, but again she didn't push her away. Akane moved her hands up so that one hand was resting on her head and one was rubbing her back.

"Shhh it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything to prevent it. You were just a schoolgirl back then." Akane said so in a caring, almost motherly tone. The complete opposite of what she sounded like before. Akane continued to rub circles on Mika's back, now also stroking her hair gently. For a moment they completely forgot where they were and that there was another presence here watching them.

Kougami watched them with a small smile on his face. Akane was just being so nice to her, and judging by today it looked like Inspector Shimotsuki didn't exactly like Tsunemori. But she still managed to comfort her, in a place like this. What a sharp turn that this turned out to be. _She's too good for this world…_

"B-but still I could have-" Practically crying now, Mika trembled in Akane's embrace. She found it hard to speak, all of her emotions were just too powerful right now. Emotions that she had been holding back ever since. _You know, maybe Akane is not that bad. Wait, did I really just think that?!_

Akane felt like she was on the verge of tearing up too. All of this was getting way too emotional for her liking. She didn't remember when was the last time she ever cried because of _herself_ , and not for someone else. "I know what you are going through" she whispered.

From then on Mika was just whimpering and mumbling. Akane herself had shed a tear too. They suddenly felt a ray of light hit them directly on the face. The door had opened, revealing Ginoza.

Akane sighed, "Thank god it's you, Ginoza."

 **I tried to male Mika not seem like such a bitch there at the end. I hope I succeeded and didn't make anyone OOC.**

 **Please feel free to leave a review ;)**


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